Lost dog? Found dog?

Published Date
17/08/2022
News Topic
Council
This is Sigurd, he was found at Yarra Oval and is at Sydney Dogs and Cats home looking for his owners or new forever home.

In the past month, our Rangers have picked up five lost dogs. Most often, the dog has been found wandering the streets by a concerned resident who has brought it to Council, or it has been taken to a local vet, who called Council to pick it up.

None of these dogs had their microchip details up to date and their owners were unable to be contacted.

Luckily, in three of the five instances, posts made across our social media channels were able to reunite the dog with their owner. Yet two dogs were not claimed.

What happens when Council finds a lost dog?
When a dog is found, it is scanned for microchip details. If the details are up to date, the owner is contacted, and dog and owner are reunited.

If the microchip details are not up to date, Council will call the old contact details listed to see if they know how the new owner can be contacted. Otherwise, we will post about the lost dog on our social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram and various local lost and found pet groups.

At Council, we only have the ability to keep a dog for about 24-hours. After that, if a dog isn’t claimed, it is sent to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, where it can be housed more happily. Once there, the dog will be looked after for a few weeks to give their owner a chance to find them. If no owner comes forward, the dog will be put up for adoption.

So, what are the rules?
Your dog needs to be microchipped by twelve weeks of age. Should the dog change owners, the microchip details need to be updated within 14 days. In addition to the first step of microchipping, dogs and cats must be Lifetime Registered with Council within six-months of age. You can Lifetime Register your pet with Council online or in person at our Customer Service Centre at 30 Frances Street, Randwick. The registration fee is a one-off fee that covers the pet for its lifetime in NSW.  Learn more about microchipping and pet registration here.

Finally, a collar with a tag with your pets name and your phone number is a really quick and easy way for an owner to be located if their dog is lost

What happened to the two dogs?
Once the two dogs had been with Council for 24-hours and they were not claimed by their owner, they were sent to Sydney Dog & Cats Home. Fortunately, one of the dogs was reclaimed by its owner within a few days. The second dog, Sigurd, is still listed as a ‘Lost’ dog and is waiting to be found or adopted by a new family. If you recognise this dog (see image below, far right), please contact Sydney Dog and Cats Home. Here’s a link to all the lost dogs currently with Sydney Dog & Cats Home.

Just to sum it up, the four 'that's a good dog' rules of ownership are:

Last Updated: 24 August 2022
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